1 month ago
Our Cherry Chicken Pasta Salad
This sweet and crunchy pasta salad is one of our most popular deli items … and now you can make it yourself at home!
6 to 8 servings
30 minutes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
2 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 16-ounce package dry gnocchi or shell pasta
¾ cup thinly sliced celery
¾ cup chopped red onion
1 5-ounce package dried cherries
1 ¼ cups mayonnaise
1 ¼ cups L&B Poppy Seed Dressing
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Lettuce or spinach, for serving
Directions
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet. Brown the chicken breasts on all sides until the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. Drain and discard the juices.
- Remove the chicken from the pan, cool and cut into cubes. Tip: for even faster prep, use our L&B Ready To Heat Pulled Chicken in the deli.
- Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water, according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, pasta, celery, onions and cherries.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, L&B Poppy Seed Dressing, salt, and pepper.
- Fold 1 ¾ cups dressing mixture into the salad, cover, and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Note: the remaining dressing mixture should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- To serve, fold in the walnuts, add additional dressing if desired, and serve over a bed of your favorite greens.
